Should Caitlin Clark have taken the risk and played Unrivaled 3x3 basketball?

Caitlin Clark's WNBA offseason plans became clearer, as she declined an opportunity to play with other women's basketball stars in Unrivaled, a new three on three league.

Was this decision smart on her part, or a terrible mistake? We'll take a closer look at benefits she missed out on, as well as the reasons why she is wise to skip out. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Caitlin Clark had a record-breaking rookie season in the WNBA, so her stock continues to push at an all-time rate. There was a chance to get a further glimpse of her generational talent with a new opportunity.

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If longstanding WNBA and women’s basketball fans are asking themselves where this 3 on 3 league came from and what it is all about, they are not alone. The Unrivaled League is a recent addition to the basketball calendar that was started up by WNBA players.

As Bleacher Report notes, the Unrivaled 3 on 3 league was founded by Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx. The games are set to begin in January 2025.

Unrivaled will feature a total of 40 players on six teams who will play 3 on 3 basketball games for two months throughout the WNBA offseason. The action is set to tip off in Miami.

The Associated Press reports that each player who agrees to sign up for Unrivaled will receive a six-figure salary as well as an equity share in the league.

In addition to Collier and Stewart, some of the WNBA’s biggest names have agreed to participate. Players like Kelsey Plum, Brittney Griner, Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper are all scheduled to suit up. Additionally, Clark’s fellow popular 2024 rookie classmate, Angel Reese, has also agreed to take part.

A lot of the available spots were scooped up pretty quickly, which put pressure on Clark to make up her mind.

The most likely outcome seemed to be Clark sitting out of the three on three games. She told the Indianapolis Star in October 2024 that she was looking forward to some downtime. “It’s gonna be nice, I think. Getting out of the spotlight and just getting to live my life and do things that I want to do.”

ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco said after the Fever’s final playoff game, “We talked to Caitlin Clark earlier today. She said she almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason. So it is likely we will not see her play again until April 2025.”

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However, Unrivaled would back up the Brinks truck to pay Clark a hefty sum to play in the league. According to Essentially Sports and other outlets, Clark would make a $1 million base salary from Unrivaled if she agreed to play.

Napheesa Collier’s husband Alex Bazzell is the president of Unrivaled, and he told Sports Business Journal, “We are going to make that offer. It’s going to be a historic offer, but we’re giving her time to mentally escape basketball before we sit down and have that conversation. But one way or another, I think this league is built for stars, and I think we can move the needle forward in a different way for those stars and give them upside long term, too.”

Collier told Run It Back FDTV, “It’s just so crazy because the growth that Caitlin has brought to the game—the sheer amount of money she’s making these teams, people are having to move their venues for when she comes to play.”

Essentially Sports talked about the close friendship Clark has with former Iowa teammate Kate Martin, who currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces. Martin has agreed to participate in Unrivaled, and some believe that Martin’s presence might have swayed Clark to suit up herself, especially if the pair could play together once again.

While Clark would have made a significant amount of money by participating, the decision to play would come with a couple of risks. At the end of the day, Clark knows she is a WNBA player first, and the story of her career will start and end with her achievements there; not in Unrivaled. Similarly, if she were to get badly hurt in 3 on 3 competition, it would affect her availability for the Fever.

It’s also easy to understand why Clark would want to take some time off. She started the 2023-2024 college basketball season with Iowa in November 2023, and it ran until March 2024. She was drafted by Indiana in April 2024, and had to report to the team shortly thereafter to prepare for the WNBA season in May. The Fever’s campaign ended in late September, so she’s been on the go for 10 consecutive months.

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